Category: internet finds

Posted on

KaBoom! A Playground Project

During the summer of 1998, I nannied for a family with two young boys. It was a great job in many ways, who wouldn’t want to get paid (in cash, every Friday) to play outside all day long? These boys were huge playground fans, and they had a name for every playground we haunted.

There was “alligator park” (with a slide like an alligator), the “rock park” (old school playground with pea gravel as ground cover), “grammy’s park” (park by grammy’s house)…you get the picture. This was before the explosion of the Internet, but when I read about the KaBOOM! mission to map online 100,000 playspaces in 100 days, I immediately thought of those boys.

KaBoom! has issued the challenge: to map 100,000 playspaces in 100 days. Here’s what counts as a playspace: a playground, field, a skate park, roller hockey rink, lake, dog park, community center, basketball court or ice rink – any place where kids can engage in unstructured play for free or a nominal fee. A playspace listing on KaBOOM! consists of an address or cross street and a description, one photo and one rating.
Why map playspaces?? If playspaces are mapped throughout the country, think about what a great resource that will be as you travel this summer. When we take trips with the kids, finding a playground to use during a pit stop is a life saver. And who knows, maybe there’s a gem of a park just outside your usual radius that could become your new favorite space.

MomCentral has teamed up with KaBOOM! and for every playspace mapped through this promotion (just join MomCentral team during the sign up process), MomCentral will also donate $1 to Jumpstart, which promotes early childhood literacy, a cause near and dear to my heart.

So go…gather the info on your favorite local playspace. Then head to KaBoom! go to “find a playspace” and from there, go to “map a space” and map your space. That’s it. Moms across the country will now know a great spot in your neck of the woods, and Jumpstart will get just that–a jumpstart on funding. I took the kids to the park Saturday anyway, came home and mapped our spot–it took maybe 10 minutes and was very easy.

And your public service duties are done for the week!
This post is part of a blog tour sponsored by KaBoom! and MomCentral.
Posted on

Making Life Better

I am always in the look out for time saving tips, budget deals and new recipes. The website, http://www.makinglifebetter.com/ delivers on all three counts. This is a one-stop website that combines all of what busy moms are looking for–beauty tips, recipes, and idea for family fun. The site does feature the Unilever family of products (ranging from Suave shampoo to Ragu marinara), and offers great, easy to implement ideas.

The section “budget recipes” has gotten a lot of use in my house already, weeknights around these parts definitely call for easy meals, and the price per seving is a helpful guide.

Go check it out already….after a few minutes, you’ll probably find at least one tip you can use!

This post is part of a blog tour sponsored by Mom Central and Making Life Better.

Posted on

The Kahuna Family’s Ancient Family Cure

You know that movie, My big Fat Greek Wedding? And you know the dad, and his obsession and faith in Windex? Yeah, well, that’s my family. What? You didn’t know I was Greek? I’m not. And the magic elixir isn’t Windex. But other than that, my family is just like that. Seriuosly.

What’s our potion? Neosporin.
Growing up, Neosporin my mom’s answer to any medical ailment involving an open wound.

Paper cut, gash from glass, multiple abrasions from a bike wreck, a ripped hang nail, skin so dry it cracks, sore nose from blowing too much,or even itchy, cracked skin from cheap jewelry….you name it, mom had a little tube that could remedy it all.

Now that I’m a mom, I’m a Neosporin fanatic too. The little scraches that Jr. manages to get all over his body (crazy growing nails that never quit) get coated nightly and heal quickly. MAM’s skinned knees and raw blisters from new shoes are taken care of in a jiffy.

When MomCentral put out the call for this blog tour, I jumped at the chance. Partially because it involved free samples to try. And partially, because every now and then, I come across a friend who doesn’t know about the magic that is Neosporin.

The samples I recieved included NEOSPORIN® + Pain Relief Ointment, NEOSPORIN® + Pain Relief Cream, and a new product I am already addicted to–the newly available NEOSPORIN® NEO TO GO!® First Aid Antiseptic/Pain Relieving Spray.

Let me explain–this is a spray Neosporin that fits on your key ring. Just a little squirt and any minor cut is taken care of right then and there. It is awesome and will be with me always.

One thing the folks at Neosporin want moms to take a look at this spring is the expiration dates on the first aid supplies in your house. When I went to add my sample to my stash, I looked at my current tube of Neopsorin. It said it expired in APR 08. I thought, “Awesome! There’s still a month to go!” I know. Then I figured out the current year. Anyway, as first aid products past their expiration dates, they may lose effectiveness. So go check your stash and if need be, get a new one. May I suggest the incredibly awesome Neo to Go! ???

This post is brought to you by MomCentral and Johnson & Johnson. Samples were sent to me to review as part of this blogtour.